Path of Oblivion
by LittleGreenTroll
Summary: Qui-Gon always struggled to come to terms with his past. But what if Xanatos wasn't his only mistake? What if his past caught up with him and he doesn't realise it? Pre-TPM.Complete
1. shadows of your past

Title:           Path of Oblivion

Author:       LittleGreenTroll

Summary:   What if Qui-Gon's past catches up with him and he doesn't realize it? Will he 

                    be able to discover the identity of the female stranger? Or does he chose to ignore

                    his instincts. 

Timeframe: Obi-Wan is 22

Rating:         PG13 (just to be save)

Archive:      Everyone, who wants it, can have it. Just e-mail me the address of your website

                    so that I can check it out.

Disclaimer:  I do not own this universe or any character (except Lana, Floris…) and I do not  

                    make any money with this story ( as if I could anyway!?). Satisfied, Mr. Lucas?

** Hi there! Please be nice and review after reading the story. I need feedback and welcome **constructive **criticism to develop my story. I love feedback and enjoy every single review**

Path of Oblivion 

_Chapter 1: shadow of your past_

"Qui-Gon, I've got to tell you something," a female voice said urgently.

"Yes, I have to tell you something, too. We better sit down." Qui-Gon motioned to the couch in his and Xanatos' living room.

"OK, then start. I want to hear your news first," the woman spoke, her eyes never leaving the floor.

"We…I think that we should end our relationship."

"What? We think? Oh, I get it! Xanatos thinks that we spent enough time together. It's not you who wants to break up, it's him who wants you to do it. Don't you see that? What kind of fool are you, Qui-Gon? You are blinded by the spell the boy has cast on you! Xanatos calls and you leave me alone! You are a Master…" She couldn't finish her sentence because Qui-Gon cut her off.

"Yes, I am a Master and that's why I have to end it. I need more time for him. He feels neglected, poor boy! I do not spend enough time with him and his training…I'm sorry Lana, really." His voice became softer, recovering from the yelling fit.

"You are leaving me alone? I need you more than ever. Xanatos has total control over you, can't you see that?"

"Don't you dare to speak about Xanatos like that! Perhaps it would be better if you left!".

Lana stood up and ran out of the apartment, tears of hurt and anger streaming down her cheeks. Her normally brown eyes were red from crying. She wanted to tell Qui-Gon that she was expecting his baby. They didn't intend to start a relationship. They had spent a couple of weeks on a mission together, and it happened. There had been only the one time and she was pregnant. Nobody was supposed to know. Jedi weren't allowed to focus on relationships. By the time that they had returned to Coruscant, she wasn't feeling well and had gone to the Healers. They found the source of her nausea. She wanted to speak with Qui-Gon about their situation, but he didn't even want to listen to her. He left her alone! He could be so cold and distant sometimes. The tall woman rushed into the lift and tried to calm down. Xanatos was 19, for force's sake! She went into her tiny apartment and dropped onto her bed and buried her face in her blue pillow. She was 25 and had been knighted two years ago. Her long black hair fell over her shaking shoulders. What was she going to do now? She was pregnant, but Qui-Gon didn't care anymore. She rose and began to pack her things. The only thing she wanted was to get away from the temple, from Jinn and Xanatos. When she finished her packing, she went to Master Yoda and requested a very long mission in the Outer Rim.

"Why this mission, you want," the tiny alien asked her, his ears drooping.

"Because…" The words were stuck in her throat and she couldn't form them.

"Want to run away from problems, mmhhh?"

"Master Yoda, I'm pregnant by Master Jinn. But he broke it off before I could tell him. I want to have this long assignment in order to give birth to my child so that no one has to know. I want to raise it there and take it as my Padawan learner when the child is ready. Please don't tell a soul."

"Know Qui-Gon should!"

"Yes, my Master. Someday I will tell him, when he is ready, when I am ready…." Her low voice trailed off.

Yoda's ears dropped further and he closed his big eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, he said, "your mission granted, will be." He stroked her hair with his green claw, as if he wanted to say farewell, as if he thought that he would never see her again. The kneeling Knight stood up and left Master Yoda's rooms. One last time she glanced back before going to the transports in the main hanger of the temple. She left her home, her friends, and her family behind in order to start a new life on an unknown planet. Her eyes began to water again, but she didn't care anymore. Slowly, she ascended in to the shuttle, went to the cockpit, took the pilot's seat and took off.

**13 years later**

"Remember what I told you, Floris? Never call me "Mom" in front of another Jedi. You only call me Master Lana." The Knight smiled down at her daughter.

"Yes, Mom. And I won't laugh at Master Yoda, I promise, though he must look funny from the way you are talking about him," she said, suppressing a laugh. Lana looked sternly into Flo's blue eyes. They were the only reminder of her father. Floris had her black hair and her smooth features, but her father's blue, penetrating eyes. She had to tell Qui-Gon now. She sighed. When she heard of Xanatos turning, she decided not to return to the Temple in order to protect their daughter. But the fallen Jedi was now dead or to be more precise had been dead for almost seven years. She also heard of Qui-Gon's emotional breakdown after Xanatos' betrayal and that he had taken another apprentice, but only reluctantly. Everything was so complicated. Now she had to return to the Temple because it was time to accept Flo as her Padawan Learner officially. She sighed again. The time seemed to move quickly. 

"Come' on, Flo time to depart for Coruscant!"

The flight was uneventful, until suddenly the engines began to cough and they were thrown out of hyperspace.

"Mom, what happened?" a frightened child asked.

"I don't know. Stay here. I will take a look at the engines."

Then the whole ship shook. But this time, it wasn't the engine! They were being attacked. Lana ignited her golden lightsabre and told her daughter to do the same. The doors flew open and pirates boarded the cruiser. Mother and daughter fought for their lives. They didn't have anything of value on board, only their lives. Maybe these were slavers! These pirates didn't give up, though a few of them were killed by their own blaster fire that was reflected by the Jedi. The pirates were getting impatient and weren't interested in the Jedi anymore. All they wanted was revenge for their fallen comrades. Among the pirates were races of aliens Lana had never heard of. There were Twi'lek, Togorians, Rodians, but also humans. Suddenly, her eyes went wide with shock- she was hit! A crying girl ran to her side and screamed "Mom!", but she didn't respond. Then, a light flashed and Flo dropped unconscious to the floor. She was stunned, too. The space pirates went from board to jeering at the Jedi and congratulating each other for the good job.

Blue eyes snapped open. Flo didn't know how long she had been out, but her leg hurt. It seemed to be on fire! Next to her lay her mother. Her brown eyes were open and expressionless. Floris crawled to her mother's side and shook her shoulder.

"Mom, MOM! Wake up, Mom. there are gone!" But Lana didn't wake up, for she would never wake up again. Flo stayed at her mother's side for what seemed like a year. But after a while, she returned to the cockpit in order to watch for a planet to land on. She didn't understand that her mother was dead.

Flo felt dizzy and typed in the coordinates of the nearest planet and switched on the autopilot. Then, she crawled back to her Mom and began to speak to her. But darkness claimed her soon after she laid down next to her mother.

The spaceship crashed on a planet called Hagen, near to a house in the midst of nothing. The inhabitants came out of it and rushed to the ship. Smoke rose from the consoles in the interior of the ship. Autopilots could lead a ship to a planet, but they couldn't land it. Then, they caught a glimpse of two people lying on the floor. The woman was dead and there was nothing, that could bring her back. But the girl was still alive, although very weak. An older woman ordered two young men to carry her into the house and to fetch a doctor. They left the woman in the wreck, where they would decide later what to do with her.

**a few days later**

"So you two were on your way to Coruscant," the older woman said in a warm voice.

"Yes, she wanted to present me before the Council and accept me as her Padawan. But now…I have nobody anymore. Now that she is gone…" Flo burst into tears.

"If you want you can stay with us for a short time. Call it a vacation. Would you like that," the woman asked gently.  Her motherly instincts awoke from a long sleep. She liked the small frame in front of her. Flo nodded and so she stayed. Her mother was burnt on the field in front of the house with Flo's lightsabre. After her mother's death, she decided not to become a Jedi. She didn't know these people. But nevertheless, she decided to stay for as long as they would welcome her.  The only thing that she kept as a reminder of the Jedi was her mother's lightsabre. She would never give it away. This was the most precious thing her Mom possessed and she wouldn't leave it behind. This was a reminder of her past that she didn't want to forget.

Tbc…


	2. crossroads

Path of Oblivion 

_Chapter 2: crossroads _

  **3 Years later**

Weeks turned into months and months turned into years. Flo stayed with these people on Hagen. They were friendly and they loved her. They were smugglers, but very kind and helpful. The older woman, Erti, became a mother to Flo and the two young men became her brothers. They showed her how to pilot a ship on her own and how to smuggle goods from the Outer Rim into the Core Systems. Flo liked the danger and was thrilled to be part of the family business. They were the best in their line of business and the whole galaxy knew it. The most common good that they smuggled was an exotic spice, but they also hid people on board of their ships.

Flo and Nil, a young man five years older than her, were working on one of their ships.

"OK, Flo, now hold the red wire back," the blue-haired man told his 15-year-old "sister".

"Which one? There isn't a red one, Nil. There is a violet one and a pink one," she said to the annoyed looking man. Nil rolled his green eyes and opened his mouth to say something stupid, but their older brother joined them forcing Nil to bite his tongue. Deacon was a 26-year-old handsome man. He had brown hair and green eyes. But he knew the effect he had on young women and that made him a bit arrogant. He wasn't a jerk, but he was well aware that he was a good-looking guy. He loved to tease his brother, who loved to experiment with his hair. 

"Ah, Nil! Don't look at me!" He covered his eyes. "Your beautiful hair blinds me!"

Floris chuckled and knew that Nil wouldn't take it as an insult.

"Ha.Ha. Very funny, Deacon," the 20-year-old said making a face.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'll need the ship this evening. So hurry up with whatever you are doing! I have an important job to do."

"Don't tell me that you are working for Jabba the Hutt. I thought that we agreed on not working for that criminal again." Flo barked at him.

"NO, Flo. I am not doing a job for him. I'll be flying to Uness to pick up important cargo."

"Uness? What do you want on that planet? I mean it is in the Mid Rim and a member of the Republic, So you'll need to be careful. The Republic has a watchful eye on smugglers," Nil added.

"And besides, don't forget the Jedi! Do you know what they will do with you when they catch you," Flo asked playfully and neared her brother, poking one finger into his chest.

"Alright, you won't believe me anyway. By the way, I didn't tell you what I'm supposed to do," he concluded.

"I will smuggle Senator Thias and his family off planet and take them to Coruscant. He received a threat on his life and the life of his family. He doesn't want anyone to know that they're leaving the planet. Call it safety measures."

"Who wants to kill him," Flo asked in her Jedi manner.

"He is one of those responsible, who didn't let the planet Omos enter the Republic. He blocked their petition with two other Senators. But those two live on Coruscant and they are guarded by the Jedi. I'll just drop him on Coruscant, get a huge amount of money and come back."

"And why didn't he want Omos entering the Republic," Flo asked with rising interest.

"Because he claims that the planet isn't ready to participate. Their government is too unstable and corrupt. But before you ask, no I won't take you with me. It doesn't matter how hard you try to persuade me. It is too dangerous, little one. And besides, taking you with me decreases my chances of flirting with young ladies on Coruscant." He cocked an eyebrow and smiled mischievously. Nil rolled his eyes again. He also had a great effect on women, but he was shy and never spoke of his affairs.

"So Flo, let's get the ship ready! Where were we? Ah yes, hold the red wire…"

**One day later on Coruscant**

Chancellor Valorum had ordered one of his oldest and best friends into his office. Qui-Gon Jinn and his 22-year-old apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi took a seat in front of the Chancellor.

"It is good to see you both," Valorum greeted the two Jedi, but didn't waste any more time before explaining his request.

"Senator Thias and his family have been kidnapped. They were on their way to Coruscant, but somehow their ship was attacked and they disappeared without a trace. I want you two to discover their whereabouts and to bring them back to Coruscant."

"Who was their pilot," Qui-Gon asked curiously.

"A young man called Deacon Cleoris. But he disappeared, too. He is a smuggler. I do not know more about him."

"Is it possible that he betrayed the Senator," Obi-Wan wanted to know.

"I do not know. But I know that the government of Omos is involved. When can you leave for Uness to investigate?"

"We should be able to leave in an hour." Qui-Gon stood up and motioned for Obi-Wan to do the same. They bowed and went to begin packing.

it only took them thirty minutes before they were able to take off. It was only a short flight from Coruscant to Uness, but nevertheless it had been long enough to kidnap a whole senatorial family and their pilot. Obi-Wan spent the next 16 hours in his cabin, studying data files and profiles of  criminals who were under suspicion. He was getting tired of reading and decided to join his Master in the common room.

Qui-Gon was deep in thought and hovered over his own data pad. When Jinn caught a glimpse of his apprentice, he shut his data pad, as if he didn't want his Padawan to see the screen.

"Obi-Wan, your shielding is improving. You surprised me, boy!" He smiled at his protégé.

But Obi-Wan hadn't been shielding his presence at all. He was far too tired to raise his shields. He tried not to show his stunned expression.

"When will we arrive on Uness, Master," he changed the subject.

"Probably in an hour or so. We will start to investigate in his office. Then we have to gather information about the pilot. We have to find out which route they took to Coruscant."

Though Qui-Gon was telling his student all those things, Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon was distracted by something.

"Master, what is keeping your mind busy" Obi-Wan asked shyly and hoped he hadn't crossed the line with his curiosity. Qui-Gon shot him a suspicious look and sighed.

"What kind of Master am I if I can't shield my thoughts from my Padawan? We are approaching the planet Hagen. A good friend was killed when pirates tried to raid her shuttle near that planet. Three years ago she wanted to return to Coruscant  after finishing a mission in the Outer Rim. She spent 13 years there. She was the one who realized that Xanatos manipulated me…I just miss her," he said sadly.

"And you didn't have a chance to see her in those last 13 years?"

"We had an argument the night before she was assigned to that mission. I didn't have a chance to apologize. She had been right about Xanatos and I didn't want to see that. She insulted Xanatos, and I threw her out of my quarters and we never saw each other again. When he turned, I was so ashamed that her assumption had been correct, I was too proud to go to her…Then I took you as my apprentice and I tried to forget my past, but three years ago it caught up with me. Thank the Force that you were on a training trip and didn't have to witness my reaction to her death."

"Did she have a Padawan?"

"No. She was a loner."

"How do you know?"

Qui-Gon broke the eye-contact with his apprentice.

"I'm sorry Master."

"It's alright, Obi-Wan.."

They were so involved in their conversation that they didn't realize that they were landing on Uness. The Capital was called Yakomo. It was an enormous city and the Jedi were impressed by the high buildings and its overall nature. But the people of Uness didn't destroy their landscape in order to build houses. 

"Obi-Wan, tell me if you can see our hotel. We have to drop our baggage there. We can't drag it all along with us," Qui-Gon said exhausted.

"What was it called? Nimbus?" A small confirming nod came from Jinn. They both started to look around on the main street. It was a strange view that presented itself before the Jedi. They had never seen green spots in big cities before. Suddenly, the Apprentice made a grunting sound.

"Master, over there, Hotel Nimbus. Why do we have to stay there?"

"Because we do not wish to attract much attention, my Padawan. So let's go in."

A young woman was checking in as they were entering the building. She had black hair that she wore unbound. 

The man working behind the counter was a typical Unesser. He had a green skin and red hair. His eyes were violet. But the Unesser were human.

"Miss I need to know your name," the man said strictly.

"My name is Floris…" she wasn't sure whether to tell her real name because she sensed a disturbance in the Force. She still had the ability to access and to control it. On the one hand, she hadn't used her real last name in three years, but she couldn't use her adopted last name "Cleoris". So she decided to use her birth name.

"Floris Junoir," she said calmly. Qui-Gon's head jerked up. Junoir? Lana's last name had been "Junoir". But there were thousands of people in the galaxy who shared this name. There was probably no relation.

"And how old are you, Miss?"

"I am 20 years old."

"Can I see your Identification Card? I'm not allowed to give a room to an underage person," The clerk stated politely.

"But I just told you that I was 20 years. You don't need to see my identification card." And she waved her hand a little. This movement again caught Qui-Gon's attention.

"I don't need to see your identification card." Did she just mind-trick the man?

"You'll give me a room and won't ask further questions."

"I'll give you room number 203 and I won't ask any further questions."

"Thank you very much!" The girl took the key and went to her room.

***Master did you see that? She mind-tricked the man?***

***Yes, Obi-Wan I saw that. What was her room number? 203? We'll take the room next to hers***

Being mind-tricked for a second time, the clerk gave Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon the keys for room 204. That was certainly an interesting start to their mission…

Tbc…  
  
  



	3. getting to know a Jedi

Path of Oblivion Chapter 3: getting to know a Jedi 

** Hello folks! And specially, hi phoenixqueen (thanks for being the first person to review my story). Please be nice and good readers and review the story. I'm addicted to reviews!**

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dropped their luggage onto their beds. The room looked comfortable and clean. Yellow carpets covered the floor and they had a wonderful view of the mountains in the distance. But Jinn wasn't able to forget the young lady they had just seen. It almost felt as if he had seen her before. Her presence seemed so familiar, but he wasn't able to place her. Of course, he knew that Lana's last name was "Junoir". Maybe that was what had caught his attention. But the name didn't have to mean that she was a relative of her. He had to shake this ridiculous feeling off. He needed his focus on the here and now where it belonged. They would be able to observe the girl during their stay, but they had a mission to fulfill and couldn't let Qui-Gon's obsession rule their actions.

"Master, do you think that the population of Uness knows of Senator Thias' disappearance," Obi-Wan asked thoughtfully.

"No, I do not think so, Padawan. The mood on the planet is too calm for the news to have spread already. The government has hidden this difficult matter very well," Qui-Gon stated in a tired voice.

"Master, I know that we do not want to attract any attention, but do we have to wear these clothes? I mean by wearing these colours we will definitely attract more attention than in our brown tunics. Seriously, don't you think, that "tourists" like us prefer their own clothing? Look at me," Obi-Wan whined.

"The violet tunic suits you very well. Don't forget to hide your Lightsabre. Our own tunics would arouse too much interest. It is too soft and tasteful for the planet's fashion," Qui-Gon said resignedly and looked at the clothes he was going to wear. He knew exactly how Obi-Wan felt. After taking off his brown tunics, he put the red "thing" on. He felt like a Sith. The fabric seemed to itch and he started to scratch his skin. The Unesser had a soft spot for ugly colours.

"Let's go, Obi-Wan. We still have a long day before us," Qui-Gon announced tensely.

He opened the door and turned his head around to see if his Padawan would follow him. Obi-Wan really seemed to be embarrassed by the material he was wearing.  
But he was on Qui-Gon's heels and he wasn't complaining about his new leisure wear and was instead wearing his business face. Qui-Gon could rely on his Padawan and cherished this feeling. A smile flickered on his lips, but then he bumped into someone. It was the girl from next door. Her handbag dropped to the floor and all the contents spilled onto the pink carpet. Her eyes went wide when she saw that her mother's lightsabre was among the stuff on the floor. Quickly, she covered it with the blue cloak she was wearing and kneeled on the floor to gather her things.

"I'm sorry, young lady. I didn't see you," Qui-Gon told her when he kneeled next to her to help her. Curiously, he eyed the items that covered the whole carpet. There were a camera, money-bag, make-up, keys, photos and a small black box.

"Couldn't you just open your eyes? Now look at the mess!" She seemed to be under extreme pressure.

"I told you I was sorry!" Qui-Gon tried to build up a conversation with the impolite young girl. By seeing her face, he knew directly why the clerk wanted to see her identification card. She was no older than seventeen.

"Alright, just watch where you're going," she said when the last item was returned to her bag. Qui-Gon shielded his force presence and told Obi-Wan to do the same through their bond. She wanted to stand up, but remembering the Lightsabre under her cloak, she remained on her heels. She was at a total loss. How would she get rid of this duo.

"I will, young lady by the next time we meet." Qui-Gon stood up and headed with his apprentice to the elevator. When she was sure that they were gone, she rose and picked the metal cylinder up. She watched it just a moment before she put it back in her bag. How long had it been since she used such a weapon? Would she need it? Would she dare to use it? It still felt good in her small hands. She didn't know. All she wanted was to find her missing brother. Erti and Nil had let her go because they knew that if someone could find him, it would be her. But where should she start? First of all she had to find out which route her brother took. She would only receive such information from the government…. But she couldn't walk in and say, "Hello, my name is Floris and I want to find out where my brother Deacon Cleoris is. You know the guy who tried to smuggle your Senator off planet. The guy who seems to be responsible for the disappearance of the Senator and his wife and children…."

First of all she had to get familiar with this colourful looking place and its strange people. The man she just met had seemed so self-importunate and his companion? He was the direct opposite. He was silent and didn't even touch one of her things. Tourists!

A first step would be to visit the government and to observe the building. Her blue cloak and blue tunic matched the colour of her eyes perfectly. Her hair was bound together into a simple ponytail. When she would return home again, she had to cut her hair. It was too long and boring. Maybe she should ask her brother Nil for a few suggestions. Her hair was only in her way. she seemed to always have a few strands in her face and couldn't see properly. She went to the elevator. But before she entered it, she took the black box out of her bag and attached the small blaster to her prepared belt. It was protected by her long cloak and invisible to everyone. In the last three years, she didn't have to use a weapon very often except when they had been working for Jabba and had to smuggle weapons of all kinds into the Core Systems.

She went out of the Hotel and mingled with the crowd on the streets. Her past helped her to blend into the crowds perfectly. It wasn't a long way to the government building. With every step, she became more nervous. She took out her camera and took pictures of her surroundings, pretending to be interested in the architecture of the culture. She also joined a group of visitors in order to peruse the interior of the building. She continued to take pictures of everything: the doors, the security guards and the walls. In the evening she would try to sneak into the building to collect more information about the senator and his enemies. She had to know everything in order to find a trace of her missing brother. She didn't want to lose another beloved person.  
The wound was too fresh to be opened again.

Never had she heard anything further of the Jedi. Nobody was looking for her after Erti delivered the sad news of Lana's death to the Jedi Temple. According to Erti, the man that took her call didn't even seem to care. He was so cold. Flo shuddered at her memory. The guy didn't even seem to listen to Erti. Maybe he didn't understand the import of the message. Regardless, the Jedi could have searched for survivors. Her father could have tried to find her.

Her mother once told her of her father, and that he was very busy and that he didn't have the time for family other than the Jedi. It seemed as if the Jedi didn't know of her existence. But her Mom told her that a particular Master, what was his name….Yes, Yoda knew of her. Then why didn't he look for her?  
What was she thinking? She loved her new family who cared for her. She shouldn't even waste another thought on the so-called guardians of peace and justice.

It was getting dark before the government closed. The alarm system was pathetic and she had no problems entering the building. This was easy. Suddenly, she heard voices.

The voices came from another room. Carefully, she sneaked to the door that separated the two rooms. One of them seemed to be familiar, but she couldn't place him right away. Then it struck her! The man from the hotel! What was he doing here? She couldn't hear them clearly, so neared the door and tried not to make a single sound. She swallowed. She focused on understanding the men who were talking to each other. But this was a grave mistake! The alarm system was pathetic, but she forgot to check whether there were any night watchman or not. She didn't sense him coming; she only heard him yelling.

"What the hell are you doing there," he yelled at the young woman.

Floris turned around and tried to run away. It wouldn't help her if she was caught and arrested for burglar on this planet. But the door flew open and two men ran after her. She had no chance to escape. The two "tourists" were too fast.

"I told you that I would open my eyes the next time we met."

Tbc...


	4. a clumsy beginning

Path of Oblivion 

__

_Chapter 4: a clumsy beginning_

Floris tripped over her own feet and landed hard on the floor, hitting her head. She felt a bit dizzy and her world spun. Her brow was bleeding. Now it was an easy task to arrest her. She cursed her stupidity and lack of discipline. At least her bag stayed closed and didn't reveal its contents. What were they going to do to her? Would they prevent her rescuing her brother? She tried to put on her poker face and prayed to deceive the two men, no now three men next to her, or were there six.

Qui-Gon covered his astonishment well. But he wasn't as surprised as he thought. He knew that their paths would cross again, but so soon? He wanted to monitor her when they returned to the Hotel. His attention shifted to his apprentice. Obi-Wan was as composed as he was. No sign of any emotion touched his features. Kenobi was nearing knighthood with amazing rapidity. The Master regretted that he couldn't turn back the time… Jinn chastised himself. He had to focus. How often did he lecture his Padawan to be aware of surroundings and now his train of thoughts was leading him to something else. His blue eyes studied hers. She tried to hide the fact that she was flabbergasted, but she wasn't able to. Fear and anger radiated from the small form on the floor. He sat down next to her.

"What are you doing here," he asked her, probing her again with the force. Floris felt as if she was drunk. 

"I was…" She searched for an explanation, but instead she demanded something else.

"What are **you** doing here?" Flo was slightly confused and her grasp on the force was slipping further and further away. Suddenly she saw something glittering at the belt of the tall man in front of her. Was this…. This was a lightsabre. He was a Jedi Knight! And the young man behind him must be a Padawan. He wore a braid behind his right ear! They must be investigating this matter, too.

This was a startling revelation for her. For the first time in her life, she saw a Jedi. The only other Jedi she had known had been her mother. She felt nausea rising and tried to stand up. She needed some fresh air and quickly. The night watchman in front of her counted the action as an attempt to run away again, and grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Then he threw her to the floor. For the second time that night, her head impacted harshly with the stone floor. Flo clenched her teeth, but didn't cry out.

"Enough of this," Qui-Gon spoke in a harsh voice and looked sternly at the uniformed man.

"She is just a girl and won't harm anyone, let alone escape. Look at her, she might have a concussion!"

"You two are Jedi! Don't try to convince me otherwise. I saw your Lasersword and his Padawan braid." Again, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had to make an effort to cover their surprise.

The night watchman eyed them closely. He didn't know why any Jedi should be on his planet. Everything was just fine. A robed figure emerged from behind.

"Take the girl into my office," he said with a false smile, then dismissed the guard.

Qui-Gon helped Floris to stand up and to sway into the room next door. There she sat down on a comfortable chair and was watched by six very curious eyes."

"Why don't you tell us who you are and and what intentions were behind your actions," the important looking man asked her in a menacing tone.

"My name is Flo Cleoris and I'm looking for my missing brother, the smuggler Deacon Cleoris. I thought that I could gather some information about the Senator and his enemies…" she was feeling tired.

So she hadn't told the hotel clerk the truth. Her last name was Cleoris not Junoir! Qui-Gon sighed. Somehow he had hoped that she was related to Lana.

"That doesn't give you the right to break into this building. I will not tolerate your actions and will make sure that you bear the consequences. This is a serious crime you've just committed," Arc Arelius barked at her, ready to call security.

"Would you have given me some information if I had asked for it," she shot back.

Obi-Wan smiled. This was a tough and clever girl. He liked her already. He couldn't stand this member of the parliament. But he was a Jedi and couldn't let his emotions rule his actions. So he just enjoyed the teenager expressing her aggression.

"This doesn't get us anywhere," Qui-Gon interrupted the two. "I think we should forget what happened here, Master Arelius. We only attract interest if we discuss this delicate case further, let alone in front of a court. We'll come back tomorrow. She is not in the condition to be interrogated right now, anyway." Qui-Gon turned his attention to Floris.

"Do you think that you are able to walk?"

"Yes, sure, just leave me alone," she snapped at the Jedi and rose, but too quickly. She staggered and almost collapsed, but Padawan Kenobi was able to catch her in time.

"Obi-Wan, do you think that you are able to help her walk?" Obi-Wan gave an affirming nod. She was almost a dead weight in his arms, though she tried to walk on her own. Qui-Gon put a supporting hand on her back and followed the duo.

"Please let me walk alone! I can do it," she repeated almost all the way back to the Hotel. The Jedi were glad that it was a short one. On their way, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged Flo and her bag and Jinn was almost carrying her through the streets of Yakomo. 

"Master, do you think that we should leave her in her own room in this condition?"

"No Obi-Wan. We have to take her with us to our room. I just hope that we have bacta with us, because this is a nasty wound."

"I am not sure, Master. I do not think that we have any bacta with us. We had to leave so quickly that we could have forgotten certain things," Obi-Wan said as they entered their room.

Floris didn't seem to notice that she wasn't in her own room. 

"I feel tired," she said in a low voice.

"Padawan, help me to put her on the bed over there," Qui, Gon said before addressing Flo again.

"I am afraid I can't let you sleep, young one. You might have a concussion." He looked into her dull blue eyes and held two fingers in front of her face.

"How many fingers do you see?"

"There might be three or four, I don't know…just wanna sleep," she said drowsily.

Qui-Gon frowned and clapped his hands sharply so that she focused again on staying awake.

"I know that you can use the Force, so use it now. Are you able to slip into a healing trance," Qui-Gon demanded to know. 

"How do you know that I can use it?"

"I saw you mind-tricking the clerk. Obi-Wan, fetch the med-kit," he told his student, who was watching the scene from the doorframe. 

"Your name is Flo?" She nodded slightly, but the movement of her head was too much and she dropped her head back on the bed.

"So Flo, how old are you and who taught you to use the Force," he tried to start up a conversation that would keep her from falling asleep.

"I'm 15 and my...a…Jedi taught me to use it," she said barely awake.

"Aha, a Jedi. Who was this Jedi? Does he have a name?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and put pillows behind her back, so that she sat and didn't lay.

"Master, the med-kit we brought with us doesn't contain any bacta. We didn't check it before we departed. What now," Obi-Wan shouted from the refresher. 

"What does it contain?" never shifting his gaze never wavered from the teenager.

Obi-Wan appeared again and put the small bag in Qui-Gon's hands. There were some medical instruments and injections, but no bacta.

"What now," asked Obi-Wan cluelessly.

"I will have to stitch the wound. I'll give her an injection to make it painless for her." He cocked an eyebrow. He hadn't done this since Xanatos little sabre accident. _Xanatos had tried to call his lightsabre to his hand with the help of the Force, but unfortunately he wasn't able to catch it and it hit his head…._

"Master, I don't have to witness this, do I," Obi-Wan asked nervously. 

"No Obi-Wan, if you do not wish to. You are allowed to go for a short walk." Before Qui-Gon could finish his sentence, Obi-Wan disappeared. 

"Flo, look at me. Don't you dare sleep before I'm finished with your treatment!" He raised his voice and took out an injection from the med-kit. Floris' eyes went wide with horror when she saw this monster of an injection.

"Don't be afraid. It won't hurt at all, I promise. Jedi don't break their promises." He soothed the girl, and administered the injection over her brow to deaden the nerves. Then he took out the old-fashioned needle and began to stitch the wound. Flo trembled at the sight of such a torture instrument.

"There you are, as good as new. And didn't I tell you that it wouldn't hurt?" He smiled at her when he was finished.

"Will it leave a scar," she asked sleepily.

"The scar can be removed with a bacta treatment. But I had to stop the bleeding and close the wound because of the danger of an infection that could set in.  By the way, when was your last tetanus vaccination?" He hated to ask that question, but, after stitching the wound, he had to.

"I don't know. Is it important?"

"Alright, then drop your pants." He coughed, trying to hide his laughter.

"MY PANTS?" Now she was fully awake.

"Yes, your pants, young lady. The injection will be administered in your buttocks. I do not want to hear any contradictions," He said in a commanding voice. Reluctantly, she reached for her belt and opened it. The blaster fell to the floor and Qui-Gon cocked an inquisitive eyebrow, but he would comment on it later. She dropped her pants with an embarrassed face, lay on her stomach and cursed in every language she knew. At that very moment, Obi-Wan returned from his walk and opened the door. The girl screamed, Obi-Wan covered his eyes and Qui-Gon couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. Flo tried to reach her pants, but was held back by Qui-Gon.

"Wait, I didn't give you the injection," he told her laughing hard.

"Master, give her the shot. Come' on! I want to open my eyes again," he said while peeking through his fingers. The Master exhaled with a sigh and did as he was told, then Floris pulled up her pants.

"Now, you should sleep. But tomorrow we will talk about you and your brother, is that clear?" Jinn straightened and faced the girl.

TBC…


	5. disturbing dreams

Path of Oblivion Chapter 5: disturbing dreams 

Qui-Gon watched the slumbering form on the bed and decided to settle on the chair that was standing next to the bed. 

"Master, don't tell me that you will spend the whole night like this on the chair. I can also…" Obi-Wan spoke in a hushed voice.

"No, Obi-Wan, go to bed. I will sit with her. I can't sleep anyway. My mind is too occupied," he replied softly to his Padawan.

"As you wish. Good night Master…" Obi-Wan went to his sleeping niche.

Flo seemed to have nightmares and turned restlessly in the bed. Beads of sweat were forming on her temple and she was breathing rapidly, but the Master couldn't do anything. He didn't have a training bond with the poor girl. She moaned in her sleep and mumbled words escaped her mouth. Qui-Gon tried to listen to her, but couldn't understand any of the words. The only word that he could make out was "Mom". He frowned and wanted to wake her up. But just when he laid a hand on her shaking shoulder, she calmed down again. The teacher let his gaze wander in the darkness and he spotted her belt with her blaster. He picked it up and inspected it closer. This was a small blaster that didn't have the power to kill anyone. But nevertheless he would take it for now. Suddenly, he saw the forgotten bag in the corner of the room. Silently, he stood up and grabbed it. Maybe her identification card could tell him more about the sleeping teenager or maybe she carried some holopics with her. He had scarcely opened the bag, when he was distracted by a muffled scream. He laid it aside and looked at the black-haired girl. She was laying on her stomach and pressing her face against the pillow. Then she made another muffled sound.

"Mom…Deacon...NOOOO!" Her eyes snapped open. Now she was breathing hard. She turned over and saw a face hovering over hers.

"Is everything alright, Floris," Jinn asked concerned.

"Yes, just my usual nightmares….I didn't have the chance to thank you for treating the gash on my brow. So thank you…"

"I don't believe we have been properly introduced.  I am Qui-Gon Jinn and my Padawan is called Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Thank you, Master Jinn," she said in a low voice.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes I do, thanks again to you."

"So we can talk about you and your brother," he asked carefully.

"What do you want to know," she asked suspiciously and sat up, never breaking eye contact.

"Who taught you to use the Force?"

"As I told you before, a Jedi," she stated calmly.

"And as I asked you before, does he have a name," he demanded patiently. If she wanted to play a game, he would play it with her.

"The "he" is a "she" and yes she does have a name."

"So what is her name?" The girl wouldn't get away that easily.

"She is dead, so what is this all about?"

"I'm sorry, but what was her name then?" He didn't give up and he felt that the girl's patience was slipping away.

"Her name was…" She broke her eye contact with Qui-Gon. Should she tell him? It couldn't hurt to tell him the name. But that would be all. Qui-Gon took her chin and directed her gaze back to his gentle blue eyes.

"Her name was Lana Junoir…"

Qui-Gon was shocked. His mouth gaped open and he was speechless, but he was able to regain his composure only a few seconds later.

"This is why you used her name to check in? You didn't want to tell the clerk your real name?"

Floris picked up his changing mood through the Force. She nodded, but instead of voicing her answer she asked.

"Did you know her? Do not try to convince me otherwise because I felt your reaction in the Force."

"Yes, I knew her. She was a close and wise friend to me."  Now it was her turn to be shocked. This man in front of her knew her mother. Her eyes went wide. Thousands of questions crossed her mind. But she cleared her mind and focused on the present.

"What did you want in the government building?"

"We were collecting information about the Senator and his enemies and whether your brother was a loyal man or not," He whispered to her.

"My brother is a loyal man. He wouldn't have betrayed the Senator. I know him, trust me. Did you find out which route they took as well as who could be responsible for all this?"

"Yes your brother didn't take any chances with his passengers. He took the trade route in this sector and we think that the Governor of Omos is behind all this, though we can not prove it."

"So what are we waiting for? I'll get my ship ready and we'll take off immediately." She spoke hastily.

"What do you mean by "we", little one? You can not come with us. It is too dangerous."

"Don't you tell me what to do, Master Jinn. I can rely on my defence skills. After all, I was taught by a Jedi, just in case you forgot it."

"Why did she teach you?" He felt awkward for asking this particular question.

"It is a long story which I will tell you when my brother returned home and only if you will take me with you!"

"Very well. In a few hours I will contact Arc Aurelius again and tell him everything. You should try to sleep and  to heal your wound. Are you able to enter a healing trance on your own?" Flo bit her lip. She didn't know what to tell him. Her mother always had helped her slip into this kind of trance. After her death, she had never made another attempt to perform one herself. Slowly, she shook her head.

"No, but the wound will heal just fine without the trance…" Jinn interrupted her excuses.

"Shall I help you?" Floris wanted to tell him "no" and went as far as to shake her head, but the Jedi Master wouldn't listen to her.

Kindly, he told the teenager to lie down again, then he moved his large hands to her temple.

"Relax and reach out to the Force. Now concentrate and guide it to your wound." Floris felt a bit clumsy for it had been almost four years since she had been ordered to do something like this. But it had been different, too. Her mother had sat beside her, not this strange man. Strangely enough, however, she could say that she liked him. After a few more moments, she fell into a dreamless and restful sleep.

Qui-Gon looked out the window and realized that it was early morning and that he could contact Aurelius. Arc Aurelius was a high politician on Uness. He had run for Senator last year, but had lost the election to his old friend Godo Thias. Qui-Gon sent a transmission to the government and woke Obi-Wan, who slept like a stone and didn't move an inch.

"Obi-Wan? Padawan? Time to wake up, boy! Come on, get your butt out of the bed." Obi-Wan didn't seem to have eyes, but slits. 

"Yes Masta! Just one more minute."

The young man was a hopeless case. Jinn began to pack their things on his own. He tried not to disturb the girl, but made extra noise when he was near Kenobi. After a few more moments, Obi-Wan was awake.

"Thank you, Master, I just had a wonderful dream…." He smiled to himself

"We will leave in a few hours." With that, the master pulled away Obi-Wan's blanket.

"Masta! You know that I hate it when you do that! Which transport will we take?"

"I think that we will take hers," Jinn said delightedly.

"Master, you have a gift for picking up strays," Obi-Wan told his stunned Master and rose.

A few hours later, they were ready and Obi-Wan woke Floris.

"Flo, wake up, come' on it's time to leave…" He spoke in a low voice. She opened her eyes and focused on Obi-Wan. She stood up and went to the fresher, only to find out that she wasn't in her room and that her blaster was missing. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she kept silent. Her bag stood solemnly in a corner of the comfortable room and it was closed. She sighed in relief. Frankly, she couldn't stand more questions from the older Jedi. Last night, she had feared that her shields would collapse after learning that Qui-Gon Jinn had known her mother. 

"I'm ready. Let's go boys,"  she said challenging the two Jedi.

Tbc…


	6. confrontations with your past

Path of Oblivion Chapter 6: confrontations with your past 

The flight to Omos wouldn't take more than a few hours. Flo felt much better and decided to pilot the transport to the planet where they hoped to find the missing people. The 15-year-old peeked into the common room of her small ship and saw Master and Apprentice joking around and making fun of each other. She turned quickly around. They were like father and son, as close as she had been to her mother. Suddenly, she felt cold and alone; she knew that she was part of another loving family, but this wasn't the same and she always felt like an outsider, though everybody tried to include her in the family life. She stared into space, the vacuum, a mirror of her bitter heart. If she hadn't been able to save her mother, she had to rescue her brother. Another thought came to life. What if she just wanted to prove herself? What if she just wanted to rescue him because she wanted to show herself that she was not unworthy of trust and love. Maybe these were reasons that made her determined not to fail that time, but the main reason was to make sure that Deacon would survive. _"My goodness,"_ she thought, _"I'm a case for the shrink!"_

She had to join the duo in the common room or her mind would drive her crazy. Reluctantly, she stood up and again made her way to the room.

"Oh, Floris, come and sit with us," Jinn said to the small form and patted the seat next to him.

"You owe me a long story, remember? So why did Lana teach you to use the force?" He didn't waste any time with empty words. Flo was at a loss for words and stuttered for a moment. Obi-Wan eyed her closely, but didn't seem to understand. The teenager became nervous.

"I told you that I would give you more details when our mission was accomplished." She tried to fend the Jedi off with this statement.

"Are you afraid to tell us? Why is it so difficult for you to speak about Lana?" The Master sure knew where to aim at.

"Lana Junoir was my…Master."

"She was what," Jinn asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"I was born and on the Outer Rim planet. She raised me and taught me in the ways of the Jedi." Flo thought this a brilliant answer and not exactly a lie.

"When she was killed, I decided not to become a Jedi and stayed with MY family and now here I am."

"I thought that your family was from Hagen. That's where your brother came from before he picked up the Senator and his family."

Finally, it was too much and the girl lost her patience with the elder Jedi. Suddenly her shields were dropping. The accusations and questions that she had valiantly repressed for so long burst forth in a wave.

"Listen, I don't care what you think. After her death, nobody searched for me! Why did you Jedi abandon me? Why? I was on that transport, too, but nobody seemed to care! Don't even dare to say that nobody knew of my existence, because a guy called Yoda knew of me. He knew…he knew! She was the only person I had! Are you satisfied, Master Jinn?" She was yelling at the two Jedi and trying to hide her tears, but failed.

"We were told that there weren't any survivors. I'm sorry…" He lost his cool almost arrogant manner.

She tried to calm herself, but failed miserably. Instead, she only sobbed harder. The teacher laid an assuring hand on her shaking shoulders, but she pulled away. 

"Floris, I am really sorry about what happened to your Master. You've got to believe me," Jinn soothed her. If she was happy with her family, then why did she cry almost hysterically? Qui-Gon was a bit startled. But then again, she was born on that particular Outer Rim planet and her family lived on Hagen. And from what Jinn knew, the planet wasn't inhabited by any humans. There was an obvious gap in her life story. But he'd done enough to this girl for now and he felt as if he would cry too at the sight of the teenager next to him. He rubbed her back and motioned to Obi-Wan to leave the two alone for a moment. Obediently, the apprentice rose and went to the cockpit to navigate the ship to Omos. 

"I'm crying like a child, damn! Please leave me alone, Master Jinn. I do not want you to witness this," she said in a cracking voice.

"It's alright. I won't leave you alone right now. And I think that I have to apologize for my behaviour lately." He struggled with himself. Should he risk another attempt and ask for the whole truth? No, not now. Maybe the Force would present a time later.

Suddenly Obi-Wan screamed for his Master from the cockpit.

"Master, a transmission from Uness!"

"Put it on the big screen so that we can watch it, too." 

Arc Aurelius's sad face appeared on the screen. He looked shaken.

"Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi, Mistress Cleoris. Our spies on Omos confirmed that Senator Godo Thias, his family and Deacon Cleoris are imprisoned in a camp in Omos' desert. You have to free them. I beg you to help them. Our spies can't do anything more. The lives of the Senator, his wife, their children and of the smuggler are in your hands. Bring them to Coruscant."

That was all that Floris needed to hear. She reached for her bag, opened it and grabbed her mother's Lasersword. Rage burned in her chest. The Jedi watched every single one of her steps.

"Master Jinn, I need a lesson in sabre practice. I haven't touched this weapon in three years, but now the time has come," She said icily.

"You know that you are not allowed to possess a Lightsabre. You left the Jedi. But there is another reason why I wouldn't give you a lesson. You are angry. Anger leads to the Dark Side. We use these weapons to defend and not to attack," He said emotionlessly, though he knew that this was Lana's Lightsabre. He recognized the unique hilt almost instantly. 

"Did I  leave the Jedi or did the Jedi leave me?"

"You didn't come to the Temple after Lana's death. You gave up your right to handle a weapon like this. Why do you want to use this weapon anyway. You haven't touched it in three years. So why now?" Had Qui-Gon really just said that? He could have smacked his forehead for that.

"You complacent, self-righteous hippocrate. When I'm listening to your "wise" words, I am happy not to be a Jedi anymore! I was 12 years old when this catastrophe happened. What did you expect me to do, a child. To charter another spaceship and fly on my own to strangers I've never met before? I didn't even know whether they would welcome me or not. The only Jedi I ever knew was my Mom." Realizing she'd said far too much, she bit her tongue.

"I mean my Master…my Master!" She turned around and buried her face in her hands. What had she done? 

"So Lana was your mother," he asked, paling visibly. Obi-Wan Kenobi was an open-mothed spectator to the drama taking place on the ship. He sat in his seat and watched the whole scene develop like a holovid. His Master maintained that his Padawan didn't understand anything of women, but after this argument, Kenobi knew that his Master also needed an extra lesson in dealing with female teenagers. 

But Qui-Gon met only silence, so he tried again.

"But you stayed with people you didn't know. You stayed with strangers…" Qui-Gon couldn't stop the words. It was as if he was controlled by someone else. Again he could have hit his head for this stupid outburst. Lana would have killed him for that. Actually it felt like he was talking to his old friend Junoir. Obi-Wan didn't recognise his Master anymore. But Jinn was emotionally involved and he was just a man and not anything else, just a mortal man.

"Yes, they helped me recover from the raid and helped me to come to terms with my pain. They were there for me and where were you so-called guardians of peace and justice? We fought the pirates on our own!!" She ignited her Lightsabre and the golden blade sprang to life.

"What do you want to do now? Fight me?" Qui-Gon knew that he was responsible for her reaction and attempted to calmed down. He had a plan to help her regain her senses. His hand connected solidly with her face. She dropped the lightsabre, which immediately deactivated, and tried to attack Jinn with her bare hands. But he caught her with his strong arms so that she wasn't able to move an inch.

"Now calm down," he ordered in a stern voice.

"I'm sorry about what I told you a minute ago. I know it was wrong. Better?" he let her go and she dropped to the floor and sat there for a moment, watching the interesting pattern on it.

"Yes, better, Master Jinn. I also apologize for my behaviour." She released her rage and anger into the Force and reached again for the Lasersword. 

"Padawan Kenobi, when will we land on Omos?"

"In 30 minutes."

"If you'll excuse me. I will refresh my kata-steps."

"You are stubborn! But if you still insist on a lesson, I will practice with you." Jinn shook his head and ignited his green sabre. Flo bowed to the tall Master and ignited her golden blade once again.

Tbc…


	7. the reunification

Path of Oblivion 

_Chapter 7:  the reunification___

They landed in the desert, far away from any settlements, but in easy reach of the camp. 

"Floris, if you want to fight with the Lasersword, act like a Jedi. Don't let  emotions overwhelm you or let them rule your behaviour. Stay close to Obi-Wan and me, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand, Master Jinn. Why are they in a camp and not in a secured prison?"

"Camps do not attract interest because nobody knows of them or wants to know of them."

A white sun was burning down on them. Not a single cloud was in the royal blue sky. The red sand was hot and though they wore boots, they could still feel the heat under their feet. Rocks mingled with the sand. From time to time, they saw small blue plants which looked like small cactuses. Floris wore her smuggler outfit: a white shirt, black vest under which she kept her lightsabre, brown pants, blaster, brown boots and her talisman. The talisman was the small silver necklace she had gotten from her mother when she had turned 12. It was rather simple, but it was the most beautiful thing she possessed. The oval pendant was an amulet, though she didn't have a picture of her mother inside of it. Every time she would need reassurance or courage she closed her fingers around it and held it close to her heart. Today she didn't seem to let go of the small thing. Qui-Gon watched her closely, but chose to remain silent. He didn't know what would be awaiting them, but he knew that it wouldn't be pleasant. 

They headed to the camp. It was easy to reach it. In fact, it was almost too easy. Maybe those responsible for the kidnappings didn't count on the discovery of the whereabouts of the Senator and his companions so soon. The camp was surrounded by a huge wall. It was an obstacle, but for the three Force users, it presented little challenge for them to scale it and enter the camp. There were watchtowers every 20 meters, but there weren't any guards in them. The two male Jedi threw ropes over the wall and started to climb it. There were still no soldiers visible which was very unusual for such a prison! Qui-Gon was the first one to reach the top, followed by Obi-Wan. His eyes went wide with shock. Corpses covered the ground of the camp. The people seemed to be dead. Then he spotted the Senator and his family.

"Flo, stay where you are. Don't come up here," he said, averting his gaze.

"But I'm almost there." 

Obi-Wan had seen a lot of terrible things in his life, but this was numbing his senses. He couldn't cope with the view. Quickly he tried to get down because he felt sick. He was 22 years old, a Jedi, but nothing prepared him for something like this. He almost jumped down to find a corner where he could vomit. Floris watched after him, but now her way was free to climb to the top. 

"What's wrong with him," she asked, just before reaching the top of the wall. Suddenly, her face lost all colour, her mouth opened, but she couldn't scream, yell or cry. Her vocal cord was paralysed. Qui-Gon watched her closely. He didn't know how she would react to this. He didn't know what to tell a 15-year-old girl. His wisdom left him mute with indecision. A teenager's reactions were unpredictable to say the least. But the emotional outburst that followed didn't surprise him at all.

She screamed.

"Oh NO! Deacon, I can see him! Over there, he is over there. I've got to help him. See the guy with the brown hair, that's him." She started to climb over the wall, but was stopped by Qui-Gon, who laid a gentle but restraining hand on her shoulder.

"No Flo, you can't help him, young one. He is dead," he told her gently.

"No, he is not dead. Look, he is breathing! I can clearly see him breathing. Let me go, Master Jinn, let me go, I can help him. Please let me go," she begged him. She was in shock and prepared to climb down to her fallen friend.

"Floris, listen to me. You can't bring him back, you can't. You must stay here!" His hands had caught her arms and he gripped them firmly.

"No, you must be wrong. Don't you see his chest rising? He is breathing, he is alive." She started to cry, but this time she didn't hold back anything. Master Jinn helped her gently down to the ground, where she joined Obi-Wan in the corner. Qui-Gon thought that she wouldn't handle this very well. He also needed to speak with his young apprentice, though he wasn't personally involved in this affair.

He had taken his eyes off the young woman as he knelt in contemplation of what to tell his Padawan. So deep in thought was he that he almost missed the Force's gentle nudge. When his eyes opened and flicked back to young Junoir, he realized that she was gone.

"Obi-Wan, where is Floris," He asked his apprentice in an urgent voice. The gagging Obi-Wan couldn't give him an answer. He was too occupied emptying his stomach. Qui-Gon ran all along the wall trying to find the missing child. On the other side, he found an open gate and a crying girl who clung to the body of her dead "brother", who seemed to have been shot. There was a small hole in his chest. She rocked his body and whispered into his ear, "why didn't you take me with you?! Come back!" Qui-Gon's heart broke when he watched Floris saying her good-bys to the man she had been calling brother for three years. 

"Erti needs you and Nil, too. Remember the blond chick? She is waiting for you on Hagen, and she will be disappointed if you don't show up in the cantina! You arrogant bastard, come back!"

The sight of the pitifully wailing teenager was very touching and Jinn knew he had to act. He went to the child and kneeled down next to her and freed the dead body from her hands. He lifted her in his arms and carried her back to the shuttle. Obi-Wan recovered from his vomiting fit and sat in the pilot's chair ready to take off. He was deeply shaken. His features seemed to have aged greatly.

"Padawan, please fly us to Hagen. There is nothing we can do." Jinn hesitated. He knew that his student was very reserved in such situations.

"Do you want to speak about this?"

"No, not now, maybe later. I need to cope with it myself before I can talk openly about it. I want to be alone for a few moments. If you'll excuse me, Master."

"Of course, Obi-Wan. I will take care of Floris in the meanwhile. She doesn't look very good."

He fetched a blanket and covered the sobbing girl with its warmth. If he couldn't help her mentally, he would be able to help her physically in dealing with this experience. He sat down next to the girl on the cot in the small sleeping room and stroke her hair.

"It's alright, let it all out." Though he had known her only 24 hours, he felt as if he had known the child a lifetime. The last day was the most trying in her whole life. In the last three years, she didn't only lose her mother and a beloved friend, but also her identity and hopes for the future. She was trained to be a smuggler and a criminal. Jinn couldn't stand this thought. She was Lana's legacy. He was sure that it had been Lana's wish that she would be happy, Jedi or not. He had to bring her home to the Temple. 

"I feel sick, Master Jinn," she said through her wrenching sobs. The teacher hurried with her to the fresher and sat with her until she was finished, then he took her back to the bed.

"Floris, I'll just go and contact Uness and the Temple. I won't be away long. Shall Obi-Wan come and sit with you?" Flo didn't answer, so he went to the cockpit and recorded a message for both Uness and the Temple, so that he was able to get back to the girl. 

They were three witnesses. That was enough to lock up the Governor of Omos for a very long time.

Then he rushed back to Floris' side and began to speak.

"Do you know that you look like your mother, little one?" He tried to catch her attention and to distract her a bit.

"You have the same black hair and pretty features."

"I failed her as well as I failed Deacon. They both died because of me. I was too slow to save them. I saw the blaster shot coming. But my…I couldn't deflect it. She was hit. I saw her shocked eyes…Deacon…he was such a nice person. I promised to find him and to bring him back…I suspected I was unworthy to become a Jedi and now I proved my theory," she told him in bitter tones.

"Don't say that! You are not unworthy! You are brave. You came with us, though great danger accompanied  this mission. You didn't even think twice, you just demanded to be part of it…Lana would be proud of you."

"You knew my mother, Master Jinn?"

"Yes we were close friends." He sighed unsure if he should tell her more of their back-round.

"Then do you know my father?"

"No I'm afraid, I don't know him. What do you know of him?"

"He is a Jedi, but I do not know more of him. Only that he broke up their relationship before I was born." She sniffled and began to show signs of tiring.

Qui-Gon frowned and swallowed. He had had a strange feeling about the girl all the time, and it had been distracting him during the mission. It even effected his behaviour in front  of her.

" A Jedi! He broke up," he stammered, his voice leaving him. All of a sudden, he felt very uncomfortable.

"How old are you, Flo?" 

"I'm turning 16 this year. Why," She was too exhausted to realize what Qui-Gon was finally beginning to understand.

Qui-Gon swallowed. Had he been the only man in Lana's life or had there been another after they broke up? The chances of him being her father were very low because they only had any sexual contact once on a mission. But if there had been another man in her life, he would have had to be immediately after Qui-Gon if she turned 16 years this year.

The girl finally drifted off and he shifted his position. Master Yoda knew of her, so he had to know whether Qui-Gon was her father or not. He rose and walked to the cockpit. He wanted to speak to Yoda, personally. Impatiently he paced in the cockpit. Obi-Wan felt over their bond that something bothered the older man.

"Master, what is it?" 

"Nothing Obi-Wan. It is just something between me and a certain little green troll, whose name I don't want to mention."

"Shall I contact the temple?"

"Yes, Padawan. I want to speak to Yoda. I would appreciate it if you contacted him directly."

"Yes, Master, certainly." 

A few seconds later the screen was filled with the face of Yoda.

"Master Yoda." He didn't know where to begin the awkward conversation.

"You knew of Lana's pregnancy? Is she…I mean… am I…" he stuttered.

"Yes. Forbade me to tell you, she did. Sorry, I am, Qui-Gon…Thought after their death too painful it would be to reveal the truth."

Qui-Gon's face became white and he breathed deeply.

"The child is alive! She survived the raid and the crash-landing on Hagen. Why didn't you search for her, why?"

"Never told of survivors we were, Qui-Gon. Told us nobody did. Young Floris alive is? To bring her with you, you wish?"

"Yes I will take her with us to Coruscant. I missed the most precious years of her life and they will never return. I will bring her back to her home."

"Want this she does? So sure about this are you?" Yoda looked at his former student, sadness evident in his posture, then disappeared from the screen.

Obi-Wan remained silent and observed his Master. On this mission he was never able to peek through the façade of anybody. For him everything seemed to be a blur of emotions.

His master would tell him everything, but in his own time.

Tbc…


	8. the truth revealed

Path of Oblivion 

_Chapter 8:  the truth revealed_

"Master, do **you** wish to speak about anything," Obi-Wan asked for lack of anything better to say.

"No, Obi-Wan. For now, I need time to cope with a shocking fact. But I am sure that we will have a long conversation at the end of our mission, Padawan." He smiled at his flabbergasted apprentice. Poor Obi-Wan. Never had he been so puzzled before. Jinn went to the common room and stretched his sore muscles. Sitting for long in one position had made them stiff. Solemnly he stood in front of a window and watched the chaos of hyperspace.

"Why, Lana. Why didn't you tell me, why didn't you trust me?" He rolled his eyes and turned around. This was ridiculous, leading a soliloquy. 

"Because you had enough problems with that brat of yours. What was his name? Xanatos?" a blue shimmering figure answered his question. Qui-Gon  was startled.

"Lana, what are you doing here?" he just hoped that Obi-Wan wouldn't hear him because he would think that Jinn was hallucinating and speaking with the wall.

"Defending my point of view. Qui-Gon, do you remember the day when you told me that we had to end our---let's call it-  relationship?" She waited for Qui-Gon's nod, then continued.

"I wanted to speak to you because I was desperate. I had just found out that I was pregnant and didn't know what to do. But you wouldn't even listen to me because you had to obey Xanatos' orders to break up. You were older than me and I thought that I could rely on your help." Qui-Gon opened his mouth to say something to her accusations.

"No, Qui-Gon. Let me speak. Now it's my turn, so shut up, Jinn! I went to Master Yoda in order to be sent on a mission, so that nobody would know that I was expecting a baby. I wanted to come back when you were ready to hear the truth and ready to face your responsibility. Then Xanatos turned and you became a emotional wreck. I didn't want Floris to see her father like that. Xanatos returned to continue the bloodshed. It was too dangerous for Flo. You took young Kenobi as your Padawan learner and again I didn't want to interfere. The boy fought so hard for your attention and you tried so hard to ignore him. Then three years ago the time had come to bring her to Coruscant, but we were raided …you know the rest. See, it was not entirely my fault. You contributed a certain amount of mistakes, too."

"I understand. What do you expect me to do?"

"Well, first of all you should tell your daughter."

"Do you think that she will come with us to Coruscant? Was she happy on Hagen?"

"She had a good time on that planet, but she feels that she doesn't belong there, though she doesn't want to admit it. Erti, Nil and Deacon gave her a second home, but it is just a second home and nothing more. Qui-Gon, she shouldn't waste her talent. She is knight material, albeit her behaviour is a bit rude and the swear words she learned in the past three years would even embarrass the temple's cook. She isn't destined to become a smuggler ,though I must admit that she is a very creative smuggler." Lana smiled at him.

"Why did you appear to me and not to your, I mean, our daughter?"

"Because she thinks that I am a nightmare. When I show up in  her dreams, her subconsciousness wakes her. She believes that she has to relive my death in her dreams, so she drifts towards consciousness. Qui-Gon, I've got to go. My power is fading fast. Go to her and explain my reasons. Tell her that I love her. Goodbye, Jinn…" A fainting voice echoed through his head. 

The Master snuck into the sleeping room and sat on the edge of the bed. Flo shivered slightly. Space was cold, so Qui-Gon moved her a bit so that he was able to tuck her in his robe, but she woke up from his clumsy attempt. Her eyes were small and puffy from crying. 

"Hi there. Still feeling cold," he asked in a hushed voice. A simple nod was the only answer.

"Want to sit with me for a minute?"

"Yes, you are warm." Qui-Gon fetched the armchair from the other end of the sleeping room and sat down. Without hesitation, she climbed on his lap and the trembling stilled. Again, Qui-Gon was amazed. Her behaviour could switch from adult-like to child-like with the rapidity of an igniting lightsabre. Sometimes she could just be so innocent. 

"Flo, what would you say if I asked you to come with us to Coruscant?"

"I would say NO because my family needs me and I have a lot of work to do."

"You have a lot of smuggling to do. Who do you smuggle for, Jabba?"

"No, we don't work for Jabba  anymore. He is a criminal. We had to smuggle weapons into the Core Systems for him and he tried to trick us when he had to pay for our services. Deacon insulted him by calling him a fat drooling worm in Huttese. I will never forget Jabba's face. After this, my family lost a lot of clients because Jabba threatened them."

"Don't forget you are a criminal, too. You are a smuggler…" He let his voice hang for a moment to consider his next step.

"You still have the chance to become a Jedi."

"You mean I still have the chance to join the Agri-Corps. No thanks. You said yourself that I threw my chance away. I do not wish to discuss this matter further." So he had to launch another attempt.

"Do you speak Huttese?"

"Sure I do! if you want to be successful in that business, you have to learn the languages of your clients." Qui-Gon didn't give up that quickly, and tried once again.

"Flo, I know that I told you that you couldn't control your emotions. I'm sorry for that. With guidance, you will become a Jedi Knight, I promise. During our sparring match, I felt your strong grip on the Force. Don't waste that gift."

"I told you that I didn't want to hear anything more of this. There is nothing that can hold me on Coruscant; nothing that could keep me on that planet."

"What if I told you that I knew your father?"

"My father wasn't interested in me in the last 15 years! So why now," she said bitterly.

"Because he didn't know of you. Flo, he was too occupied to cope with his own life. Nobody told him of your existence."

"Who is it?"

"A Jedi Master, who split with your mother because of his foolishness."

Flo  expected something like that and became very angry.

"Then who is it, Master Jinn? I want to know the truth," she said in a harsh tone.

"His name is Qui-Gon Jinn." She gazed open-mouthed at him. She didn't know what to feel. There was anger, rage even hate, but also regret. She struggled to get away from the man and ran to the fresher. Now she felt more than just sick. The last day was the worst of her life. Qui-Gon was close on her heels. She started to throw up again. 

"Stay where you are," she managed to gasp between heaves. 

"I just want to help you." Bad answer.

"What? Do you want to throw up for me?"  That was definitely a typical teenager response. Her shift of moods was exhausting the Master. After a few minutes, her stomach didn't rebel anymore and she dropped next to the toilet.

"When do we land on Hagen?"

"You still won't consider coming with me to Coruscant?"

"No, I can't and don't want to go with you."

"Why?"

"You are a complete stranger. How do I know that your story is true, Master Jinn?"

"You can call me "Qui-Gon", if you wish."

"But I don't want to call you Qui-Gon, Dad or father or anything like that. Do you understand? There must have been reasons why Mom didn't tell you and why she wanted to keep me away from you." She was tired of her outbreaks herself, and she didn't have the strength to yell or cry. She just wanted to know "why"

"Yes, there were very good reasons. My second Padawan Xanatos manipulated me and your mother and I split. Then, he turned and she wanted to protect you from us both, from my emotional outbursts and from Xanatos revenge. I remember the day as if it had happened yesterday. The shock in his ice-blue eyes, when I struck down his father…Then I took Obi-Wan as my apprentice. Xanatos returned and it started all over again. He died nine years ago.  My training bond with Obi-Wan was still wobbly and so she didn't want to come back to the Temple. She wanted to give my Padawan some time to stabilize our bond…when she decided to come back …" He didn't have to say more. Flo leaned heavily against the wall and had her eyes closed. But she wasn't sleeping. She just didn't want to look into his eyes.

"Open yourself to the Force and you'll know it's true, Flo."

"How do you know all this? Did you speak to this Yoda guy?" Qui-Gon didn't want to make further mistakes, but he felt that it wasn't the time to explain to his daughter her "nightmares".

"Yes, I spoke to him. Floris, I just want to be part of your life and I fear that if you don't come with me, I will never see you again."

"What if I came with you? What would happen?" She didn't wait for the answer and spoke up herself.

"I would be introduced to the Council and I would meet all the other Jedi. Then they would discuss me and if I was very lucky, I would be given to another Master. But I do not consider myself as lucky. They would send me away to the Agri-Corps. So I wouldn't see you more often because you would be on missions. You are only at the Temple a few days a year. If I have to join the Agricultural-Corps, we wouldn't see each other for years. The same would happen if I got a new Master, don't you understand? It doesn't matter what I do or where I want to stay. We both have our duties and we can't escape them. I ran into you one day ago and you want me to give up my whole life," she explained.

"So you want to stay on Hagen? And you are sure about it?"

"No, I am not sure about anything. It's just all the same to me." She opened her blue eyes and look at him again.

"I will accept your decision, even if you won't come with me."

"Thank you,...Qui-Gon."

"Are you hungry? I am sure you are. Come' on and I will prepare a meal for all of us." That turned out to be a very insensitive question as she had just vomited for the second time during the last few hours. The foul taste in her mouth didn't make it easy to think of food and she felt sick again.

"No, not really, but nevertheless I will come with you. The floor in here is pretty cold and my butt still hurts from the mega-injection you gave me yesterday. Maybe I could use a cup of tea."

"Good girl. When we are on Hagen, remind me to look after your stitched wound."

They rose simultaneously and went to the common room, where they met a half-sleeping Padawan-learner. 

"Stay with Obi-Wan. I'm going to make some food and tea."

"Oh, Master, don't! I am sure that we can wait until we arrive on Hagen where we can buy some food…" But Qui-Gon ignored his pleading apprentice and went into some kind of cooking niche. The last they saw of him was a very evil grin.

"Don't you like his cooking?"

"Well, I just want to live a few more years. At least, I survived the last 10 years." He tried to cheer her up.

"You spent 10 years together? That's a long time."

"Yes, but I couldn't ask for a better Master. Just don't tell him that I said he's such a nice, caring person. Of course, we had some misunderstandings when our partnership began, but now. he is the person who I call father."

"Yes, I thought so. I looked at my Master the same way, as if she had been my mother."

"Do you have any other living relatives?"

"Yes, I have."

"Then why are you living on Hagen?"

"Because they helped me pull through the death of my mother. I think I found a second home there."

"So you are afraid to lose your last bit of stability?"

"What?"

"You do not wish to leave them because you are afraid that they will leave you alone like your mother did."

"What kind of smart arse are you?"

"A very clever one."

"I can't leave them alone, not after Deacon's death."

"That's why you don't want to come with us?"

"How do you know?"

"I overheard your conversation."

"And you pretended to be tired when you heard us entering the common room, very clever!"

"I told you that I was clever! But listen to me. if they love you, they will let you go. And don't tell Qui-Gon that I unfortunately listened to your private conversation."

"Why do you want me to come with you both to Coruscant?"

"Because I want to see him happy… We reach Hagen in an hour."

Sincere blue eyes studied the black-haired girl. The young man grinned at her and strolled into the cockpit in order to be saved from the food. 

Obi-Wan seemed to have triggered something in Flo's mind. She fetched the Lasersword, ignited it and started to perform Kata. The lightsabre felt so good in her hands, so familiar. Why had she decided not to be a Jedi anymore. It had been a rather hasty decision. She had been bitter, she now admitted to herself. She had been grieving and nobody seemed to care, that there had been a missing Jedi Apprentice. But she was anxious to go to Coruscant and to demand to be trained. What would they think of such a stupid girl? She shook her head. The door had been shut a long time ago and she couldn't go back and open it again. On the one hand there was Qui-Gon and on the other hand was Erti. But then there was her remorse. She reached out and tried to still her racing thoughts. Again, she ignited her mother's sabre and watched the golden blade closely. If she didn't want to become a Jedi anymore, then why did she keep this weapon? Sentimental reasons, reminder of her past? There were other things that she could have kept during the years. She only could have kept her mother's necklace. But she also kept the Lasersword and always excused it with being the reminder of her past. Such  nonsense! Was there really a part inside of her that longed to be a guardian of the Republic. She bit her lip and dropped the lightsabre. Why would anyone take her as an Apprentice if she hadn't been training in the previous three years? No, she should forget her child's dream.

"Flo. Come and eat. You will need your strength," Qui-Gon said concerned, when he caught glimpse of the lost form in the common room. He felt a conflict inside of her but didn't want to dwell on it.

"Obi-Wan! Do you want to eat anything?"

"I'm hungry, but I won't eat this "slop"."

"I just made sandwiches."

"Alright, but you will try them first."…

Tbc…

Author's note: thank you for your wonderful feedback!! Thanks for reading this story, yours LittleGreenTroll


	9. following your heart

Path of Oblivion

Chapter 9: following your heart

**Here we go the last chapter. Thank you all for your wonderful feedback! I'll be back soon**

**two days later**

"Yes, I am sure about it, Qui-Gon. I won't return to Coruscant with you. I do not think that they will take a smuggler back. I mean I've been a criminal for almost three years and I can't wipe those years out no matter how much I want to. It's not that simple. My habits don't suit a Jedi. Just think of my swear words, and I feel that I would give in to my dark feelings. And to be safe, I'll want you to keep this."

She handed him her mother's lightsabre.

"I fully understand. I told you that I would accept your decision; but I nevertheless regret it." She nodded.

"Obi-Wan look after him, promise me!"

"Yes, Flo, I promise to watch after him." He hugged her and went to board the waiting transport.

"Time to say goodbye?"

"Yes, Flo. I will miss your outbursts."

"And I will miss you, too, so contact me, when you are around."

"Yes and contact me when you get caught and arrested. At least I can see to it that you will be kept on Coruscant." He smiled at her mischievously and she giggled.

"When will we see each other again? I mean you are my father."

"I will complete Obi-Wan's training. but after his knighting ceremony is complete, I will have plenty of time for you, I promise. I won't take another apprentice, for I'm getting old. He wore me out. We'll stay in contact."

"I'm sure you will be the first one to know if I get imprisoned."

"Goodbye, Flo. Take care!"

"Goodbye, Qui-Gon. Same goes for you."

Qui-Gon knelt down, hugged her tightly and placed a small kiss on her temple. Then he strode to the transport and didn't look back.

Erti had watched the scene from her small house. Why didn't Flo go with her father? This was probably her last chance to become a Jedi! No, she corrected herself, this was definitely her last chance to become a guardian of the Republic. Erti had made an error three years ago. When the Temple hadn't send any help, she should have dragged the girl to Coruscant. After all, when you are 12 years old, you are not able to make a decision like that. But Erti had thought differently then. Young Junoir could use her force abilities to smuggle cargo into the Inner Systems. The older woman chastised herself for being such an egotist. Floris never was a smuggler. She was too noble to make a good criminal, but now that Deacon was gone…Her youngest son Nil was a risk to her business. He loved the danger and thrill, but he'd gotten careless and allowed himself to be searched on Corellia because of his stupidity. He almost got caught when he tried to deliver his freight there. His blue hair was recognised by a local. Now his picture covered every wanted circular on that particular planet. But those circulars were holopics and changed the picture every 10 seconds. So Nil was shown every 10 seconds with a different haircut, with beard etc…He couldn't set one foot onto it anymore….

No, Flo couldn't stay here, Erti decided. She had to go with her father. When she entered the house she was kind of relieved. Her two options were reduced to one; her choice had been made.

"Why didn't you go with your father?"

"You need me. The business needs me."

"No, we are not in need of you. I don't want you to waste your talent. Go with Qui-Gon!"

Flo was a bit startled.

"No I do not wish to become a Jedi." Even if Erti wasn't her real mother, she saw it in Flo's eyes. Junoir was lying to herself. When the Jedi had been around her, the blue windows to her soul were filled with passion and joy, but now they looked sad and devoid of life.

"Anyway, they just took off."

"Yes, but you will fly after them! Nil will take you to Coruscant. But watch after him, for he must not cause any trouble! We have a reputation at stake. Go and pack your things, hurry!"

Floris never remembered much of what happened. She stayed in the room long enough to hug Erti and thank her for all her kindness, then ran quickly into her room and gathered her things. She didn't possess much, so she was finished after just 15 minutes of collecting her possessions. But when she wanted to say farewell to Erti, she was nowhere to be found.

"Come' on Flo! I have to pick up important cargo on Tatooine," Nil screamed from the cockpit.

"But, I want to say goodbye to her and tell her how much she means to me."

"She knows, Flo. She knows," he said gently.

They were approaching Coruscant fast. Both were lost for words, but then Nil opened his mouth.

"You know, maybe Ma and I will quit being smugglers. She isn't the youngest anymore and I am a risk to the clients. Maybe we will become honest people and will found a legal company," he said with forced enthusiasm.

"On second thought, no! We love our illegal activities, at least I love them." Flo rolled her eyes and smacked his arm playfully.

"Nil, keep an eye on Erti. I will come and visit you as often as I can, but not if you are in prison!" Nil laughed to cover up that he was nervous.

"Flo don't forget us when you are a mighty Jedi. You can always come back if your business sucks. We will welcome you with open arms."

"I'll remind you of that when I stand in front of your door. I care for you very much, so don't do anything stupid, Nil. Don't smuggle for Jabba or any other Hutts."

"I won't. I care much for you too, sister."

*** 

Floris stood on the landing platform of Coruscant's busiest spaceport and watched her brother's spaceship as it left Coruscant's atmosphere. Only when it was out of her sight did she look around. The traffic was jammed- as usual. Never had she been on Coruscant before. Deacon had dealt with the clients in this area of the galaxy. Floris was impressed by the skyline of the planet. But another thought came to life. How would she get to the Temple and how would she get in? Dressed in her usual clothes it would be very difficult to enter it. She wore her white shirt, brown pants and boots, her black vest and her holster with a blaster. Her fingers searched for her amulet and squeezed it, seeking its reassurance.

Outside the spaceport, she took a taxi.

"Hey young Miss, why ya wanna go to the Temple," the female Mon Calamarian driver asked.

"Em…want to visit someone," she replied.

After a short ride, they arrived at the huge Temple. Floris went to the entrance and was stopped by a caretaker or guard or someone like that. She had to leave her name and the reason of her visit. She told the caretaker that she had an urgent appointment with Master Yoda and she was able to pass. But the person didn't see her blaster which was covered by her vest.

// Well, if the Jedi can keep their lightsabres in here, I can keep my good old blaster //. She thought. It was so calm in the Temple and it radiated from every person she met on her way to the Council room. A few initiates stared at her and were scared of the strange girl who didn't wear a Padawan braid and who wore such outlandish clothes. Floris tried to fit in with the mood of the Temple in order not to attract any attention and to still her own doubts. The Temple was like a small city of its own. It was so big. Where could she find the council room and this Yoda guy? An elderly Master crossed her way. Floris always had a big mouth and jumped after her.

"Excuse me Madame. Where can I find the council room?"

"Take one of those two elevators over there. It is the highest floor ." The Master didn't seem to be extremely talkative.

"Thank you Madame. May the Force be with you!" Floris tried to hide her grin. That was so strange to use that term again. She rushed to the lifts and in a matter of seconds, she was on the highest floor. She was impatient, nervous, curious, but also scared. 

//They'll send me away//

She went to the door and made an attempt to open it, but was interrupted by a clerk. The clerk was ignored elegantly and she continued to try and open the gigantic and heavy doors of the chamber. Suddenly, the doors made an ugly noise and flew open. Twelve pairs of annoyed eyes stared at the mortified girl. It wasn't going at all like how she had planned it to.

"Em…Hello…Masters…I am sorry that I disturbed your session."

"Who are you and what do you want," a dark-skinned Master demanded to know.

"My name is Floris Junoir and I want to claim my right to be trained as a Knight." A hoarse whisper went through the room. Junoir?…here?…But the murmur ceased when Yoda spoke. 

"Come to the middle of the chamber, you will," Master Yoda told her. She knelt down almost instantly when she realised that he would join her in the midst of the circle. She placed her bag next to her.

"Sorry, I am. Failed you I have. Never told of survivors we were."

"I am not here to accuse anyone of being guilty for this… situation. I just want to complete my training." 

"Discussed your case we just did." He patted her shoulder with his green claw.

"Master Yoda, I do not think that this is a good idea. Floris, how old are you," Mace Windu asked in a clear voice. Not losing much time to point out his opinion.

"I'm 15. But I was trained in the ways of the Jedi by my mother Lana Junoir until I was 12 and a half years old," she shot back, trying not to lose her patience with the arrogant Jedi.

"You are 15? That would be almost three years without training. I am sorry to say this, but giving her to another Master would be unfair to all the waiting and eager initiates. What did you do during the last three years?"

"I was a smuggler, a criminal. Got your reason to throw me out of your Temple, Master? But don't go to any trouble. I will leave it on my own. I didn't expect a warm welcome from you, but I hoped that you would be polite and wouldn't attack me like this." Then she rose, storming from the chamber, and went angrily to an elevator. Just as her lift closed, the other one opened and Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan went to the wide open door of the council room. As they entered, twelve Masters were debating loudly.

"She can not control her anger! And she was not polite either," Mace Windu defended his standpoint.

"We can come back later, if you wish," Qui-Gon said trying to hide his amusement at the sight of 12 startled Masters. Suddenly the door of an elevator sprang open and a girl stamped out.

"I just forgot my bag. I will leave, don't panic! But now that I spoiled my chance of becoming a Jedi, I can speak freely and I can give in to my dark feelings which I've been suppressing for three long years. Fu…!"

"Floris, watch your mouth," Qui-Gon cut her off and not a split second too soon. He was stunned to see his daughter on Coruscant and was proud of her. She was defying the Council, just like her father.

"I'm sorry Qui-Gon. I lied on Hagen. I do want to become a Jedi. But I was afraid of such a reaction. I guess that I'm not welcome anymore. I'm going to take the next spaceship back to Hagen or Nubia. At least you can't reproach me for not trying." 

"What are you telling me, Flo?" Qui-Gon faced his daughter, then turned to the Council. Obi-Wan took one step towards the door and prepared himself for his Master's eruption.

"Master Yoda, first of all you didn't tell me of my daughter. Then you didn't investigate in the death of Knight Junoir, and now you are going to let her down again? You ruined her life, can't you see that? You also ruined part of my life because I couldn't watch her growing up. I missed precious years that won't come back. She has a strong grasp of the Force. Test her, give her a chance. You owe her a chance after all you did to her!" Mace Windu cleared his throat. Obi-Wan thought that his Master would throw himself at Master Windu. But he would understand it. This time his Master was right to act like this.

"Qui-Gon she is a criminal. We may not forget that important fact…"

"Mace, why don't you just…"

"Shut up you will! Both of you!" Windu and Jinn bit their tongues.

"Once let her down we have. Not willing to let this happen again I am! Mace Windu, discussed her we already had, and agreed on taking her back, we had. Against it you were, but no excuse this is to accuse a child of not acting correctly. A new Master will be found. On probation you will be, free to decide to go after it, you are." Yoda looked at her for a moment.

She looked around the circle of the 12 Masters. She saw worried, smiling and relaxed faces in the group. She herself didn't count on this sudden change of the argument either. She turned to her father, who placed a hand on her shoulder. She wasn't able to say a single word anymore, but yawned hugely.

"Go with your father and Obi-Wan, you should. Stay with them you will until a new Master is found."

Gently Qui-Gon led her out of the chamber and guided her to their apartment. 

"Obi-Wan, can you cook…no can you fetch some food from the cafeteria? I think we all need it."

"Of course, Master."

Qui-Gon held her gaze. She looked sleepy and her eyes became thin lines.

"If you wish you can sleep in my bed and I will sleep on the couch."

"No, Qui-Gon, the couch will do fine."

"Do you want to argue with me?"

"Alright I'll take it."

"Very well…Your wound looks much better. If you want, I'll take out the stitches."

"If you won't torture me with any injection again…"

"No, but I will remove the scar with bacta. It would be better if you sat down because you have to hold still."

A few minutes later, the stitches were removed and Floris had a bacta plaster over her scar. Suddenly, a transmission came in. Plo Koon's face appeared on the screen.

"Qui-Gon, Floris," he greeted the two. "Master Yoda granted me permission to take on young Junoir's training. I would be honoured to guide you to your knighthood, Floris. Do you accept my offer?" 

"Yes, of course, I would be glad to be your student," she said, stunned.

"Alright. Tomorrow morning we will start your training and you will move into my quarters. Good night, Padawan. Koon out." Jinn was proud and his smile was brilliant. Flo was far too exhausted to understand anything. She just wanted to get out of her clothes.

"So where is the fresher? I'm in need of a shower and my pyjamas."

"The second door to your right…" he hesitated. "I am very happy that you are here."

She gave him a weak and tired smile, but he could see the joy in her eyes. finally, she was home.

The End


End file.
